really annoyed with WoW and blizzard!

[Buddy Bradley]

Hahaha, so changing the account to parental control isn't changing the account? Nice one. The account is in your kids name, therefore only your kid can make changes. Same as anything. Comprende?

Seeing as I'm now on ignore you won't notice me calling you a massive twat who can't control their kid.

This.

The account isn't yours - just because you pay for it doesn't give you any right to make changes to it; Blizzard are in the right in that respect. You need to work out the issues between you and your kid so that s/he agrees to abide by a responsible amount of play during school/exam time.

I don't think blocking ports on the router will work, btw - I was able to play on a wifi hotspot in an airport, and I would have thought they would have locked down most ports.

 

[19sixtysix]

Keyboard logging software and harvest the password.
Will impress your kid you know what you're doing with a pc.

 

[bonjour]

Maybe you're not as stupid as I'm assuming you are, but why not just put enable a windows password?

 

[Dravinian]

The problem you are facing is the selling of accounts. Although it might be your card taking the payments, you may have sold your account to someone else, they paid good money for it, and now by changing the password you effectively retain your account and their money.

While it is fraud it is hard to prove without involving the police.

So you can understand why they are reluctant to give out password or change them or mess about with accounts.

 

[Pingu]

Keyboard logging software and harvest the password.
Will impress your kid you know what you're doing with a pc.

^^this

just install a keylogger

 

[Private Storm]

The problem you are facing is the selling of accounts. Although it might be your card taking the payments, you may have sold your account to someone else, they paid good money for it, and now by changing the password you effectively retain your account and their money.

While it is fraud it is hard to prove without involving the police.

So you can understand why they are reluctant to give out password or change them or mess about with accounts.

Blizzard don't allow the selling of accounts and have been known to ban those known to have been bought. There's a story of a guy buying a top geared character for US$10k (give or take) and having it banned soon after.

 

[Jonti]

No, I'm not going to spy on my own kid, thanks.

Turns out it wouldn't have helped anyway. Having persuaded the splendid young fellow of the veracity of his father's views*, we discover that after logging in, and before being permitted to set up parental control, there's a "security question" to navigate (you know the sort of thing -- "high school?").

Well, neither of us can remember what the secret answer is. Nothing obvious, we've established that

So the poor bloody user (the boy, I mean) now has to figure out how to get that question changed, before any progress can be made down that line. Meanwhile, I get to cancel my card anyway, in case he feels the matter lacks urgency.

I am so unimpressed with this all this. It's just lousy interface design.


* by a discussion of the laptop I'm about to buy for him

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

security != lousy interface

 

[Jonti]

Maybe you're not as stupid as I'm assuming you are, but why not just put enable a windows password?

Why would I want a windows password, and what does "put enable" mean?

I know the WoW client is windows only, but I've no interest in using either windows or the wow client. My only interest is in establishing a degree of practical control over the software service I am buying.

This seems to be rather an unlucky day for me. Do you often stop to chat with people you assume are stupid?

 

[Jonti]

security != lousy interface

How does giving them a copy of my kids passport help "security"?

How does knowing who he is help them to establish that I have a right to control what I've paid for?

 

[Jonti]

Blizzard don't allow the selling of accounts and have been known to ban those known to have been bought. There's a story of a guy buying a top geared character for US$10k (give or take) and having it banned soon after.

Yeah, thanks.

Mind you, there are some sites that are cool with selling virtual goods. I think Sadville's one. I've read some startling estimates of the value of the market in virtual goods -- around the GDP of a minor country

 

[FridgeMagnet]

"Sadville"?

 

[bouncer_the_dog]

Is he getting a laptop in return for his WoW password?

 

[Jonti]

... I imagine in this situation they're covering their arses against the eventuality that you're trying to compromise the account.

A laudable aim one unhesitatingly endorses.

I just find it a little harsh. I've paid for this service, now blizzard implicity accuse me of trying to compromise it. To myself!

I'm struggling to understand why anyone would want or need to do such a thing; and why, if they did, anyone should want to stop them.

Nope, it just seems so much simpler to assume Blizzard are a bit crap.

 

[Jonti]

"Sadville"?

Sadville.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Oh, the "comedy" term invented by a Register journo which nobody else uses. Yes, I recall now.

 

[Jonti]

Is he getting a laptop in return for his WoW password?

Nah, I'd already started looking for a suitable machine. I'm after something with a good graphics card and no windows tax, preferably with a linux and wine pre-installed (ideally ubuntu).

 

[Jonti]

I take it you're a denizen, then?

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I work as a consultant on virtual worlds, including SL.

 

[Jonti]

As in cutting code?

 

[bouncer_the_dog]

I work as a consultant on virtual worlds, including SL.

So what's your take on Raidng in WoW? And as a teenager with school and exams?

 

[FridgeMagnet]

As in cutting code?

I do a lot of coding, though also a lot of modelling, texture work and just straightforward human interaction.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

So what's your take on Raidng in WoW? And as a teenager with school and exams?

Nobody has time for that shit, however old they are, except at the weekends or if they never really needed sleep. (Not that I spend a lot of time on WoW as there really isn't anything you can _do_ with it.)

 

[bonjour]

Why would I want a windows password, and what does "put enable" mean?

I know the WoW client is windows only, but I've no interest in using either windows or the wow client. My only interest is in establishing a degree of practical control over the software service I am buying.

This seems to be rather an unlucky day for me. Do you often stop to chat with people you assume are stupid?

What?! How does enabling (I managed to choose) a password not give you parental control?

If he can't go onto windows, he can't go on WoW. Is that not what you want?!

 

[cybertect]

Apart from the point he mentioned earlier in response to my suggestion about blocking WoW at the router - the kid can/will go round a friend's house to play.

I can only let Jonti be the judge of how much of a problem that might be.

 

[cybertect]

A laudable aim one unhesitatingly endorses.

I just find it a little harsh. I've paid for this service, now blizzard implicity accuse me of trying to compromise it. To myself!

I'm struggling to understand why anyone would want or need to do such a thing; and why, if they did, anyone should want to stop them.

Two reasons that I can think of (I've never played WoW, FWIW)

1. The intangible assets acquired whilst playing WoW may have a monetary value in the real world (there seem to be plenty of sites offering to buy/sell WoW gold)

2. If the WoW *account* (regardless of who is paying for it) is in your kid's name, The Data Protection Act would require his consent for you to access his personal data if he is old enough to give informed consent (I believe 12 is the usual guideline age in England and Wales, 12 is an absolute statutory bar in Scotland). If he's studying for GCSEs, that would likely place him in that category.

Here's an example of a DPA Subject Access Form from Islington Council, which requires similar ID under the Act to that which Blizzard are asking for.

Indeed, there's a distinct possibility that Blizzard would be acting unlawfully if they did grant you access to his account without his consent, even with the ID they are demanding.

 

[hegley]

I just find it a little harsh. I've paid for this service, now blizzard implicity accuse me of trying to compromise it. To myself!

I'm struggling to understand why anyone would want or need to do such a thing; and why, if they did, anyone should want to stop them.

Nope, it just seems so much simpler to assume Blizzard are a bit crap.

Blizzard aren't crap at all in this regard; as a player I'm reassured they take account security so seriously.

You seem to be continually missing the point that paying the subscription does not make the account yours. And even if you were to get into the account management page, and change the parental controls - because the account actually belongs to your son, he could just go and change them back again.

Tbh, more fool you for paying for something which you clearly don't have much of a clue about.

If you want to know a bit more about why Blizzard take account security quite so seriously have a read of this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7575902.stm

 

[Jonti]

Thing is, as I've said above (pay attention, Hegley!), I do not want read or to change any personal data on the account. Read it slowly, until it sinks in.

I want only to control the times that the service I am paying for is made available. If there is any problem with Blizzard delivering this to their paying customers, it's to do with poor engineering and interface design, and not to do with any data protection implications as such.

How does giving Blizzard a copy of my kid's passport help "security"? How does that help them to establish that I have a right to control what I've paid for?

Anyone?

 

[Jonti]

Cybertech, it looks as if I will need to investigate blocking access at the router. Presently things run under a BT homehub, and that does not seem amenable to allowing this sort of control.

Ideally, I'd be able to access the router itself from an external IP address to administer access times, maybe by amending a timetable of permitted playtimes. I know lots of security bods would frown on this (accessing the router controls externally) but I imagine it can be made secure enough for home use.

Do you have any recommendations for a suitable gadget, please?

 

[Jonti]

I do a lot of coding, though also a lot of modelling, texture work and just straightforward human interaction.

*impressed

I get concerned about virtual worlds when there's crossover between cyberspace and the real world. To my mind, mmorgs that allow the conversion of virtual goods to real-world goods cross that line. Obviously folks make friends on line and meet up IRL, that's fine. Just as long as there's no crossover of the virtual conflicts into the real world. Convertible currencies seem almost guaranteed to cause that crossover!

At the most extreme, online guilds would also be real-world shootin' and stabbin' gangs! This would not be A Good Thing.